This invention relates to a multi-purpose bucket or container used for cleaning glass or plastic surfaces, especially windows. Cleaning liquid is taken from the bucket by an instrument such as a scrubber or chamois, applied to the surface and returned to the bucket by wringing or squeezing the cleaning instrument. The liquid is then re-used.
Of major concern in the prior art is the residue of dirt or grit which is deposited in the cleaning bucket when the cleaning liquid is returned to the bucket by wringing the chamois or squeezing the sponge, scrubber or other instrument. When the cleaning instrument is dipped back into the liquid within the bucket the liquid is agitated, depositing particles of dirt or grit onto the instrument along with the cleaning liquid. When the cleaning instrument is reapplied to the surface being cleaned, the dirt or grit is redeposited onto the surface. As the cleaning process continues, the liquid in the bucket becomes more contaminated and more dirt or grit is redeposited upon the surface being cleaned. The resulting process is inefficient and wasteful of the cleaning liquid which, of necessity, must be changed with such frequency that the cleaning liquid is not used to its full capacity.
Various attempts to solve this problem have been made in the prior art. For example, Rose, et al, use a Mop Bucket Insert U.S. Pat. No. 4,751,763 which is supported on a platform within the mop bucket, creating a compartment under the insert. The insert itself comprises an imperforate platform with a top and bottom surface. When the mop is pushed up and down on the imperforate platform, residue enters the lower compartment. The walls of the insert contain perforations designed to allow solids to enter the lower compartment. Although Rose, et al represents an improvement over other prior art, it is cumbersome and inefficient. The action of pushing the mop up and down on the imperforate platform causes the dirt and grit to be pushed against the perforations. While some particles will exit through the perforations into the lower compartments, the majority will be trapped within the liquid covering the insert due to the vigorous pushing and pulling action needed to clean the mop. This action, in turn, will itself cause mixing forces within the compartment, which will return some particles back into the insert through the perforations. Additionally, the device is too cumbersome to be used for window cleaning, especially at above ground-level heights. The invention of Rose, et al appears specifically designed for a mop or other similar instrument and for cleaning floors or other horizontal surfaces.
Likewise, the Cleaning Equipment invention of Young U.S. Pat. No. 4,878,264 is unsuitable for efficient window cleaning operations. Young employs a passive dirt trap comprised of a fibrous pad section, a lower filter layer section and an upper two-dimensional surface array of closely spaced fronds. As described and claimed, dirt particles settle into the inter-fiber spaces of the pad section, while the fronds, when the disturbance of cleaning the instrument causes agitation of the liquid, lie down more or less flat against the top of the pad section, apparently in an attempt to retain the dirt particles within the pad section. The entire element can be removed for cleaning.
The invention of Young is inherently slow. Each time the mop or cleaning instrument is returned to the container to remove the dirt particles, the user must wait until all or most of the sediment has settled onto the pad section before dipping the instrument into the liquid. The larger the container, the longer the time for the particles to sink through the liquid onto the pad. Consequently, this invention is not suitable for most cleaning operations, especially commercial window cleaning where time and efficiency are extremely important.
It is an object of the present invention to provide an efficient and compact multi-purpose bucket or container for use primarily in window cleaning.
It is another object of the invention to provide an efficient yet uncomplicated means of removing substantially all of the dirt and grit particles that have been deposited in the cleaning liquid after their removal from the cleaning instrument during the cleaning process and of trapping the particles in a compartment to ensure the maintenance of cleaner liquid for longer time periods.
It is yet another object of the invention to provide a more efficient and safer cleaning apparatus for transporting and using cleaning instruments, by a container which substantially removes dirt and grit from the cleaning liquid while simultaneously serving as a carrier for cleaning instruments such as handles, channels, sponges, chamois, scrubbers and other tools.
To achieve these and other objects, a flexible diaphragm (such as rubber) having at least one slit through the middle is placed within a bucket or other container such as to create a compartment between the diaphragm and the bottom of the container. The container is then filled with cleaning liquid. During the course of the cleaning process, the dirt and grit collected by the cleaning instrument, along with the residue of liquid, are discharged into the bucket or other container. The particles of such sediment exit through the flexible diaphragm and are deposited on the base of the container. Such particles are trapped within the compartment created between the diaphragm and the base, thereby ensuring cleaner liquid for longer time periods.
In addition, a strap is fitted within the inner circumference of the bucket so as to form channels within which instruments such as handles, scrubbers, poles and scrapers may be stored. The strap is supported so as to maintain the channels in an upright position. The strap is also configured to maintain a sponge holder and wringer for the scrubber.
The sponge holder contains the sponge when it is not in use and is used to evacuate the liquid without the need of squeezing the sponge manually.
When the cleaning instrument is a scrubber, the liquid and attendant dirt and grit adhering thereto as the result of its use is removed by inserting the scrubber into a scrubber wringer located within the bucket assembly. The scrubber itself comprises a handle attached to the actual cleaning instrument called a wand. The wand has angled rings attached to its surface, allowing it to fit snugly into the scrubber wringer. Further, when the scrubber is pushed and pulled up and down in the wringer, the rings cause the wand to twist back and forth, thereby evacuating the dirt, grit and liquid. The majority of the evacuated dirt and grit, along with the liquid, are trapped in the base of the scrubber wringer and prevented from re-entering the bucket itself. When the cleaning instrument is a sponge or other such instrument, the dirt, grit and water is discharged into the bucket, as is any residue from the scrubber. These particles exit through the diaphragm and are trapped in the bottom of the bucket. When the bucket is emptied, the water containing the dirt and grit is also evacuated.